Bent Architecture

What an honour to see our Phoenix Rooftop included in Rethinking the Future’s list of ‘15 Places Every Architect Must Visit in Melbourne’.   Phoenix Rooftop is a green refuge in the unlikeliest of places - 30-stories high, on an exposed, yet spectacular site in the heart of Melbourne.    Visible to thousands of office workers every day, this project is a billboard for environmental sustainability. The message reads, 'our buildings can be greener, both literally and figuratively'. #phoenixrooftop #rooftopgarden #skyrisegreenery #greenroof #esd #environmentallysustainabledesign https://lnkd.in/eRZpnKs

Last week, we were lucky enough to attend the The Architecture Symposium: Readymade, presented by @designspeaks_au and curated by Jennie Officer and Nigel Bertram. ⁠ ⁠ Readymade offered an approach to combating Victoria’s current housing shortage and affordability crisis, by shifting the focus away from redundancy and towards retention and renewal of existing building stock. ⁠ ⁠ One of the many highlights was Ingrid Bakker’s presentation of Hassell’s research ‘Radical Re-Use: From Office to Home’. Their research addresses the potential conversion of existing office buildings into residential complexes and proposes a paradigm shift in urban development that can be applied across cities around Australia and internationally. ⁠ ⁠ The research proffers that about 6.5% of Melbourne’s CBD office buildings are ‘ripe for radical re-use,’ with the potential to yield 10,000−12,000 new apartments and house up to 20,000 people. This approach would not only significantly add to Melbourne’s housing supply, but would uphold sustainability principles, including a reduction in upfront embodied carbon and the preservation of existing architectural assets.⁠ ⁠ Hassell’s approach envisions a revitalised urban landscape that accommodates diverse lifestyles while also contributing to a regenerative future and breathing new life into our city.⁠ ⁠ #housingaffordability #reuse #refurbish #rejuvenate #housing

On World Green Roof Day, we celebrate the innovation of green roofs that bring nature back to urban spaces. These green refuges improve air quality, conserve energy, support biodiversity, and offer beautiful, serene retreats amidst our bustling cities. Our 'Growing Up' green roof was the world’s first fully funded, competition designed, retro-fitted green roof. 'Growing Up' was initiated by the Committee for Melbourne's 'Future Focus Group' in response to their 'Future Map 2030 Climate Change Taskforce' recommendation to increase Melbourne's resilience to climate change by installing green roofs on city buildings. An open design competition, chaired by the Victorian Government Architect, was held in 2009, and industry leaders and suppliers were called upon to provide financial and in-kind support. The Committee for Melbourne intend for this project to become a "blueprint to green-roof Melbourne," enhancing the city's livability and its reputation as a centre for biotechnology, creativity, research and development, and culture. 'Growing Up' explores the environmental, social and spatial potential of a green roof. The scheme proposes a central landscaped hill, around which a singular circulation zone expands and contracts to create a number of gathering spaces of various scales and orientations. Bound by edges of seating and planting, inhabitants are to be completely surrounded by greenery along a continuous experience of the roof. Traditional garden structures, such as a folly, gazebo and terracing, create diversity along the journey. 'Growing Up' aims to showcase the environmental, social and economic benefits of green roofs through the creation of an oasis within the city – a place that is both connected to and protected from its surrounds. In addition to the recreational functions of the roof design, the project also performs a research function. Monitoring equipment, a centralised roof water collection and irrigation system and a micro-weather station will allow researchers from The University of Melbourne to collect green roof performance data. 📷 @diannasnape #wgrd2024 #greenroof #growingup

Youth Homelessness Matters Day is the annual national awareness day for youth homelessness in Australia. Started by a group of social advocates who believed that too many young people were moving out of home with no where to go, the day has since grown into a national celebration of young people's resilience. In addition to providing a safe and comfortable home, a key focus of our Youth Transition Hub for Homes Victoria and WAYSS is to provide services and facilities to equip young residents, aged typically between 16-18, with skills for independent living, preparing them for the next stage in their lives. This includes a productive garden to teach kids how to grow their own food and become a little more self-sufficient, and a training kitchen which helps to teach them the art of home-cooking, a skill they may have missed out on growing up. Completed in 2020, this project has already had a lasting influence on the young people who have been temporarily housed here. We hope that we as a nation can develop more sustainable and innovative solutions such as this. #youthhomelessnessmatters #YHMD24 #socialhousing #publichousing #sustainablehousing

Mt Eliza House is a home designed with accessibility, minimal maintenance and comfort in mind, making it the perfect place to age in place. The essence of the project has been has been captured beautifully in a feature by Cassidy Kay at Co-architecture; follow the link to the feature here. #accessibility #ageinplace #liveablehousing #sustainabledesign CO-architecture

A neat way to bring in the new year! We’re thrilled to have our work recognised yet again by the BETTER FUTURE awards program. This time, it’s Silver for Mt Eliza House in the Residential-Constructed category of the 2023 WILD Design Awards!   The WILD Design Awards celebrate courage - both that of commissioning clients and design professionals. The WILD Design Awards program is comprised of previous winners from BETTER FUTURE’s national and international awards programs, from Melbourne to New York and everywhere in between. We’re very grateful to the BETTER FUTURE awards program for their continued support, and delighted that a project as socially important Mt Eliza continues to be recognised for its innovation and design excellence. #ageinplace #liveablehousing #lha #sustainabledesign #architecture

As 2023 draws to a close, we reflect again on what is important to us – family, friends, and our wonderful BENT Architecture community. Without your support, we wouldn’t be where we are today.   We hope you all enjoy a wonderful festive season, and look forward to seeing you all in the new year!   Our office will be closed from Thursday 21st December until Monday 8th January 2024.   #happyholidays #merrychristmas #architecture #melbournearchitecture #australianarchitecture #sustainablearchitecture #bentarchitecture   Image: Hawthorn House Tatjana Plitt

Future Talks by RTF: In conversation with Merran Porjazoski.   ‘At the core of BENT’s ethos lies an unwavering commitment to crafting environments that harmonize with both nature and society. Their passion for amalgamating architecture and landscape is palpable, as they fervently advocate for the symbiosis between people and their built surroundings.’ Rethinking the Future   We are excited that our Director, Merran Porjazoski, is featured in the latest edition of Future Talks by ‘Rethinking The Future’. It is an honour for our work to be showcased on this global platform where innovative minds converge to explore the forefront of design and architecture.   #rethinkingthefuture #architecture #melbournearchitecture #australianarchitecture #sustainablearchitecture #bentarchitecture https://lnkd.in/gnaEk-pP